Dambusting

[unixronin]

On a small scale.  We have a fairly solid thaw going here, and there's running water in the gutters.  So I took the opportunity to get a stepladder out on the main deck, take my big hatchet, and chop a couple of big drain holes in the ice dams along the edge of the roof.  If the thaw holds all week, as is forecast, we may be able to get at least the back eaves ice-free.

When money permits, we need to get a lot more insulation into this roof.  As a stopgap, when the weather permits, I'll lay heat tape under the first couple of courses of shingles along the eaves.  That should be enough to at least mitigate further ice dams.  With luck, the rest of winter won't be as severe; we got dropped in the deep end with the sixth snowiest December on record in New Hampshire.

Comments

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

ya need some c4!

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Doesn't everyone? But not for clearing the eaves. :)

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

small shaped charges would do the job sooo nicely though!

[mazianni.livejournal.com]

wunderground says mix of light snow and rain, with above freezing temps during the day, for the rest of the week. Seeing as you're so much further north I'm sure you'll get hammered. ;-)

[fatcook.livejournal.com]

Do you have pictures? I've never seen that.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Pictures of what? Ice dams? I can get you photos tomorrow if you want...

[fatcook.livejournal.com]

Yes, please. I've never seen that. We don't get that out here.

[robbat2.livejournal.com]

For insulation, a very nice trick my father did once, was finding a cheap reflective layer - an excess roll of tetrapak material with a foil lining (it was pre-printed with milk boxes, but that didn't matter. That under the normal fibreglass made a big difference.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but first we have to get to the roof to put it in.

In the meantime, I just this evening noticed another set of weatherproof outside electric outlets at the back of the house, which I have little doubt are there to plug in heat tapes to keep the eaves and gutters free of ice.